68 Pages
by Sridhar Rangayan
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Jayati Bhatia, Joy Sengupta, Moulli Ganguly, Uday Sonawane, Zafar KarachiwalaDirector: Sridhar Rangayan
Writer: Sridhar Rangayan
Producer: The Humsafar Trust
Producer: Solaris Pictures
Writer: Vivek Anand
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: Hindi (Original Language)
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-08
Studio: Solaris Pictures
DVD Reviews of 68 Pages
DVD Review: HIV in India
Summary: 5 Stars
"68 Pages"
HIV in India
Amos Lassen
Mansi is an Indian counselor for HIV. Ethically she has to maintain confidentiality and she has to be objective when she tries to understand the problems and give advice to those that she counsels. Emotionality is not an open for her. She sees a lot of suffering and it is hard on her. Since she cannot talk about what she knows, she shares her thoughts with her diary.
Mansi's diary is the basis for this film and what she has written brings to light the stories of four men--Paayal, a sex worker, Nishit a user of intravenous drugs, Kiran, a gay men, and Umrao, a transsexual dancer. These men have been marginalized by society, stigmatized and lost within the mainstream. Through their lives we get a view of HIV positive people and their treatment by others.
India is in a state of denial and most Indians feel that to have HIV is to be cursed. Our four men tell us their stories and we feel their pain and their humiliation. They are rejected, not just by society, but by family and friends. We see that India's view of HIV is shallow but we also get a sense of hope that the stories that we see here can help to bring about a better understanding of the disease and perhaps that those with HIV may be able to achieve a dignified life. The four men come across as heroic and are indeed represent optimism and the triumph of the human spirit.
The movie is very, very touching as well as a slap to India. The film also recognizes the amount of work that HIV counselors do. "68 Pages" is painful to watch but the fact that it engenders hope makes it worthwhile.
Description of 68 Pages
A counselor's ethics demand that she maintain confidentiality, be objective and not get emotional. But is it possible for a sensitive young woman like Mansi to remain unaffected? Her true feelings are reflected in '68 Pages' of her diary. Through these pages we see the stories of Paayal, a sex worker; Nishit, an ID user; Kiran, a gay man and Umrao, a transsexual dancer - their stories of being marginalized before and after becoming HIV positive.These stories have the capacity to touch, heal, change lives and bring about a better understanding of their fight to live with dignity. It is a tribute to the human spirit of optimism and survival.
Having screened at more than 100 venues across India and worldwide (colleges, grassroots level centers, NGOs, etc) the film has also been made mandatory for every counselor training program in India by the National AIDS Control Organization.
The film continues to connect, communicate and change lives.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
We are all so caught up in our careers, relationships and life in general that we have forgotten to pause and look at the person next to us. Everyone is so distant nowadays, one's own shadow seems a stranger. This film is made with a purpose of bringing some of the stories that we have not cared to stop by and look, into focus. It is not a bugle call for action, but a gentle reminder to pause, reflect and make an effort to understand. Maybe we can all wipe a tear, hold a hand... or maybe write the next 68 Pages.
~ Sridhar Rangayan, 2007
PRODUCER'S NOTE
National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) has made it mandatory for use of the film as a resource material at every counsellor-training program in the country. In the next five years of NACP-III, The Humsafar Trust will screen it all over the country to various people who affect the lives of the HIV positive people and general populations and will make an effort to bring a change in the attitude of the people towards people living with HIV.
~ Vivek Anand, 2007
BONUS FEATURES - 4 Queer Shorts from India
'I am That' (by Madhusudhan Agrawal), 'Mansa' (by Arwa Mamaji), 'Eternal' (by Biswajit Sarkar) and 'Pegasus' (by SAATHII & Sidhu)
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
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